Wildfires

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 23, 2015

Op-Ed article by ecologist Chad T Hanson and scientist Dominick A DellSala warns that Congressional Republicans are once again attempting to eliminate protections against logging in national forests under guise of fire prevention; argues that proposed legislation is rooted in falsehoods and misconceptions, and would expose forests to ravages of logging while doing little to reduce wildfires that are in fact natural part of ecosystem. MORE

Jul. 20, 2015

Drones flown by hobbyists seeking dramatic video footage are interfering with efforts to fight California wildfires; aircraft sent to drop water or chemicals onto fires are often recalled due to danger of collision with drones spotted in area; legislation proposed in California aims to make it easier to identify drone pilots as well as allow criminal prosecution for those flying near fires. MORE

Jul. 10, 2015

Dark cloud of smoke from extensive Canadian wildfires lifts from Denver area, but climate scientists warn that ongoing Western drought is likely to bring more fires and accompanying air pollution. MORE

Jul. 7, 2015

Wildfire in northern Idaho destroys at least six homes and forces about 300 residents to evacuate area. MORE

Jun. 30, 2015

Families of 19 firefighters who lost their lives in battling raging wildfire in 2013 settle lawsuits with Arizona State Forestry Division; settlement's agreements include more than $600,000 in compensation for families and acknowledgement that commanders' misguided decisions put firefighters at great risk. MORE

Apr. 16, 2015

At least 29 people die in brush fires raging through Siberia for nearly a week. MORE

Apr. 7, 2015

Study published in Ecological Monographs warns that rising risk of forest fires in exclusion zone around Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine is putting Europe in danger of radioactive contamination; research shows that fires there in 2002, 2008 and 2010 have cumulatively redistributed estimated 8 percent of original amount of cesium-137 released in 1986 disaster. MORE

Jan. 6, 2015

Australian officials say large uncontrolled wildfire that has raged for days in southern part of country has badly damaged or destroyed more than two dozen homes and compelled thousands of residents to flee. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

Mary Pauline Lowry Lives essay describes coming to terms with her pyromania, which led her to work on crew of wildland firefighters. MORE

Oct. 11, 2014

California officials reactivate state’s 22 firefighting air tankers, days after one of the aircraft crashed in Yosemite National Park, killing pilot. MORE

Oct. 9, 2014

California's fleet of air tankers is temporarily grounded after one of the planes crashes while battling a wildfire in Yosemite National Park, killing the pilot. MORE

Oct. 8, 2014

Air tanker fighting a wildfire near Yosemite National Park in Northern California crashes; there is no immediate word on the state of the plane or the pilot, who was the only person aboard. MORE

Sep. 20, 2014

Higher humidity helps slow the growth of a large wildfire in Northern California that authorities say was set deliberately and forced about 2,800 people to evacuate. MORE

Sep. 19, 2014

Wildfire in Placerville, Calif, triples in size to 71,000 acres and forces evacuation of 2,000 people; forest fire is only 5 percent contained; Wayne Huntsman is arrested and charged with arson. MORE

Sep. 16, 2014

Officials in northern California say fire driven by fierce winds raced through small town Weed, near the Oregon border, damaging or destroying 100 homes and prompting evacuation orders for at least 1,500 people. MORE

Aug. 17, 2014

Fernanda Santos travel article describes trip to Sawtooth National Recreation Area, in Idaho's backcountry, which offers both spectacular forest and desert scenery and chance to view aftermath and recovery from wildfires; fire-affected areas present their own beauty. MORE

Aug. 12, 2014

Biologists are struggling to find ways to protect giant sequoias, some of world's oldest and most storied trees, from drought, forest fires and climate change threatening California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. MORE

Aug. 8, 2014

Keith Matthew Emerald is charged with starting massive wildfire in California in 2013, blaze that charred 400 square miles in Yosemite National Park and Stanislaus National Forest. MORE

Jul. 22, 2014

Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest continue to rage, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate homes in Washington State and Oregon. MORE

Jul. 12, 2014

Firefighters work to contain a fire that has burned grass and brush across nearly 30 square miles in central Washington State. MORE

Jul. 1, 2014

Residents of Prescott, Ariz, commemorate first anniversary of tragic deaths of 19 firefighters who lost their lives battling raging wildfire on June 30, 2013, deadliest day for firefighters since Sept 11, 2001; events are held across city for three days to salute those who sacrificed their lives. MORE

Jun. 27, 2014

Question of money is driving divisions in Prescott, Ariz, even as city and its residents approach the first anniversary of tragedy that killed 19 firefighters; 12 of 19 families are suing state, its forestry division and the incident commanders in charge when and before deaths occurred, pushing to find out how a seemingly routine assignment could have gone so wrong. MORE

Jun. 18, 2014

Op-Ed article by former Agriculture Dept officials Dan Glickman and Harris Sherman warns that wildfires across the Western United States have grown in heat, intensity and size; examines reasons for increase of megafires; calls for federal policies and budgets that are designed to create healthy forest and reduce likelihood of catastrophic fires, as well as sufficient money to fight fires when they do occur. MORE

May. 27, 2014

Officials say that rain forecast may help crews gain control over large, wind-whipped wildfire in Alaska that began May 19. MORE

May. 20, 2014

Gov Jerry Brown is portraying California as the front line of climate change, saying effects of man-made global warming are devastating the state; draws direct link between climate change and both the record-setting drought that has left the state parched and the early-season wildfires that have broken out across California. MORE

May. 17, 2014

California residents are just beginning to assess damage and determine causes after 11 wildfires consume more 20,000 acres across San Diego County; fire crews continue to struggle to get five of the blazes under control. MORE

May. 16, 2014

Firefighters in California are battling nearly three dozen blazes that have forced more than 23,000 people from their homes, weeks before normal fire season begins; extended drought and winds blowing toward coast fuel dire predictions of worst year yet. MORE

May. 14, 2014

Wildfire roaring through Southern California forces evacuation orders for more than 20,000 homes, as a high-pressure system brings unseasonable heat and gusty winds to the state. MORE

Apr. 14, 2014

Voracious forest fire spreads through port city of Valparaiso, Chile, leaving at least 12 people dead and more than 500 families homeless. MORE

Apr. 8, 2014

Smoke from brush fire in Wharton State Forest in New Jersey, about 90 miles south of New York City, becomes trapped in a weather system known as an inversion; smoke, unable to disperse into the atmosphere, travels to New York, allowing city residents to experience woodsmoke smell. MORE

Mar. 21, 2014

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, determine that striking a rock while swinging a titanium golf club can create a shower of sparks that are hot enough, and last long enough, to start a brush fire; finding clears up mystery of what started two recent golf course fires in Southern California, including one that burned 25 acres and injured a firefighter. MORE

Feb. 23, 2014

Pres Obama’s annual budget request will propose that Congress pay costs of fighting extreme wildfires in same way it finances federal responses to disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes; administration argues that proposal reflects ways in which climate change is increasing risk for and cost of those fires. MORE

Jan. 17, 2014

Fast-moving brush fire scorches at least 1,700 acres of land in Glendora, Calif, northeast of downtown Los Angeles, and police say three campers have been arrested in connection with blaze. MORE

Dec. 19, 2013

Former firefighter Zane Wallace Peterson pleads not guilty to murder and arson in connection with a wildfire that killed one person and destroyed dozens of homes in rural Northern California. MORE

Dec. 5, 2013

Arizona safety commission issues fines totaling $559,000 against the Arizona State Forestry Division, saying agency put firefighters in unnecessary danger while battling wildfires in summer of 2013; contends that understaffing and weak leadership contributed to deaths of 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. MORE

Nov. 27, 2013

Burden of fighting wildfires has been shifted to the states and local jurisdictions due to cuts at federal agencies, even as they struggle under the weight of a sluggish economy; states like Arizona, California and Nevada have begun relying on prison crews as a solution. MORE

Nov. 9, 2013

Editorial calls on Pres Obama to veto Senate bill that would authorize and even require timber companies to conduct salvage logging in areas burned by forest fires; argues that practice causes significant environmental damage in already weakened ecosystems. MORE

Nov. 8, 2013

Groveland Journal; Groveland, Calif, was affected first by massive wildfire, and then the federal government shutdown, causing havoc for businesses in a small town that depends on tourists drawn to Yosemite National Park. MORE

Oct. 21, 2013

Firefighters in New South Wales, Australia, are battling fires stretching along 190-mile front, some of most destructive ever to strike the region; cause of fires is under investigation. MORE

Sep. 29, 2013

Official investigative report on Arizona forest fire that killed 19 firefighters does not assign blame for tragedy, saying the men followed procedure but ended up trapped. MORE

Sep. 22, 2013

Paul Tullis article notes new wildfire research is helping scientists understand how fire starts and how to live with it. MORE

Sep. 14, 2013

Sep. 10, 2013

Air quality officials are warning residents of San Joaquin Valley, Calif, of potential health hazards because of increasing ozone levels and smoke from lingering wildfires. MORE

Sep. 6, 2013

United States Forest Service says huge wildfire in and around Yosemite National Park was caused by an illegal fire set by a hunter; no arrests have been made. MORE

Sep. 5, 2013

Arizona Gov Jan Brewer appeals federal government decision to deny major disaster declaration for village Yarnell, which was heavily damaged in wildfire that also killed 19 firefighters. MORE

Aug. 30, 2013

Closure of an entrance to Yosemite National Park due to massive wildfire just miles away has caused tourist traffic, and the business it brings, to disappear on park's northwest edge; sixth-largest fire in California history has scorched more than 43,300 acres of parkland, although most burn damage is outside park. MORE

Aug. 27, 2013

San Francisco officials are planning how to divert water from other sources in case their main reservoir Hetch Hetchy becomes unfit for consumption due to wildfire burning deeper into Yosemite National Park; scientists say water that exceeds turbidity standards will have to be filtered, but large fires in watershed areas can also create longer-term problems for water quality. MORE

Aug. 26, 2013

Wildfire near Yosemite National Park continues to grow, prompting mandatory evacuation orders for some residents and threatening San Francisco’s water and power supplies; so-called Rim Fire has burned about 134,000 acres so far, making it 14th largest fire in California's recorded history. MORE

Aug. 23, 2013

Wildfire near Yosemite National Park in California more than triples in size, shutting down nearby businesses and leading tourists to leave the area during peak season. MORE

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